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Your Next Read? Make It The Fantastic Works Of Malaysia’s Indiana Jones – Prof Farish

Your Next Read? Make It The Fantastic Works Of Malaysia’s Indiana Jones – Prof Farish

Professor Farish A. Noor is still attracting new readers with his illuminating books.

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Many of us might not be aware that Malaysia has its very own version of Indiana Jones, in the form of historian and academician Professor Farish A. Noor.

A well-travelled academic, Farish is also a political scientist who has deep interests in South East Asian history as well as antiques and material history.

As a renowned author, he is known for a series of published books highlighting the past and political history of Malaysia.

The 57-year-old author was born in Georgetown, Penang.

Farish has obtained many academic achievements in his life.

Screenshot from website of UIII

He received his Bachelors of Arts (BA), in Philosophy and Literature in 1989 at the University of Sussex at only 22 years of age before earning his Masters of Arts (MA), in Philosophy in the same university a year later.

Professor Farish did not stop there as he continued to rack up his academic rapport by earning a MA in Area Studies, Politics of Southeast Asia before putting a cherry on top of his profound educational journey with a Doctorate (PhD) of philosophy in the field of governance and politics which he earned at the University of Essex in 1997.

A recent tweet highlighted the incredibly well versed writings in his book What Your Teacher Didn’t Tell You: The Annexe Lectures.

4.1/5 Goodreads

The book talks about how “racial difference” became a big deal in Malaysia, and how the country lost its racial inheritance due to British colonisation and ethnic nationalist politics. It enlightens us on how the past has shaped our nation today.

X user @danieleskay talked about the professor’s “fresh and in-depth perspective of Malaysian culture”. Netizens that recognised the book praised it for its value and rarity.

“This book is rare now! It has become a collector’s item”
“This e-book is free on playbook. Go ahead and read as much as you’d like.”

Other Works by Professor Farish

1. The Other Malaysia: Writings on Malaysia’s Subaltern History

Goodreads 4/5

2. From Majapahit to Putrajaya: Searching for Another Malaysia

Goodreads 3.9/5

3. Diaspora: The Story of The South Asian Muslim Diaspora in Southeast Asia Today

Goodreads 5/5

After an accomplished career as an author, Professor Farish chose to go back to his original expertise of teaching the politics of 19th century Southeast Asia.

Having worked as a professor in many different countries all over the world, Professor Farish decided to return to Southeast Asia due to his fascination and interest towards Southeast Asian culture and history. The global scholar chose Indonesia as his current domain due to the number of contacts he has established there.

He is currently serving as a Professor for Political Science and Political History at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII).

The cultivated writer continues to enlighten younger minds on the foremost topic of history in Southeast Asia.


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